Bokrijk's Outdoor Playground in Genk

Besides having an Open Air Museum and Arboretum, Bokrijk also has a large outdoor playground. When visiting Bokrijk with children this is a recommended stopover for a great time. The playground has a zone for every age with slides, swings, a climbing net, mini-cars and a small adventure park. Bokrijk's playground is open all year round, entrance is free.

Location: Bokrijklaan 1, 3600 Genk, Belgium.

Be-Mine, A Former Mine Site

Be-Mine is a tourist-recreational project on the former mine site of Beringen. The site contains 100 000 m² of existing buildings and is the largest industrial heritage site in Flanders.

Be-Mine has transformed the old buildings, grounds and spoil heap into a multi family activities experience.

Its spoil heap is now a great place for hiking and biking. Children can have a great time on the adventure mountain which was especially made for climbing and playing. The top of the spoil heap offers great views as far as the other mines in Limburg.

If you want to learn more of the history of the mine you can always visit the Mine Museum. A visit is definitely recommended and will also bring you in the old buildings of the site.

For a more spectacular experience you can visit Todi or Alpamayo. Todi is an indoor diving centre, it's 10m deep, 36m in diameter and has more than 6.200.000 l of water. Alpamayo is a wall climbing centre with a surface of 1300m² and around 170 different routes. Both are situated in buildings that where once used by the mine.

Besides these activities you can also chose for the swimming pool called 'Sportoase' or spend you're time shopping at retailpark Be-MINE boulevard.

Location: Koolmijnlaan 201, 3582 Beringen, Belgium.

Barrage de la Gileppe: One of the Oldest Dams in Europe

The Gileppe Dam was built between 1867 and 1875 and is one of the oldest in Europe. Between 1967 and 1971 the dam was increased to store 25 millons cubic metres of water. The lake is fed by the Gileppe, Louba and Soor rivers and provides electricity and water for Verviers.

At the complex you can find a panoramic viewing tower. Inside the tower is an exhibition which provides information about the history of the dam. At the top on 77 meters above the dam is also a restaurant.

The lion statue was created by artist Félix-Antoine Bouré. It is 13,5m high, weighs 130 tons, and is composed of 183 individual blocks of granite.

Location: Route de la Gileppe 55A, 4845 Jalhay, Belgium.